West
Matthew McConaughey teases possible run for office at governors meeting, weighs in on 2024 presidential race
Actor and author Matthew McConaughey teased a possible political run during the National Governor’s Association summer meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday, where he weighed in broadly on the 2024 presidential race.
Participating in a discussion on the role of culture in polarization, McConaughey joked with governors about indulging in the Hollywood heavyweight’s tequila brand the night before, while also taking a more serious tone regarding the “entertainment” factor in American politics. He argued that the “extremes seem to be going further left and further right” and “decency doesn’t seem to be on the table.”
“I understand it’s hard to market and sell success in how people negotiate, because it’s not as fun, it’s not as sexy, it’s not as exciting as the car wreck. We’re a nation of rubberneckers,” McConaughey said. “I think right now we’re all caught up in short-term, short-money wins. And so we come to the table, we argue, we call each other names, and America sees a lot of us when we do that — This is entertainment. I’m in the entertainment business. Our leadership and our leaders don’t need to be in the entertainment business.”
“The extremes on the right and left, they have the microphone. It’s more entertaining,” he added.
McConaughey took the stage with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican and outgoing NGA chair, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat and the newly elected chair of the association for 2024-2025.
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Actor Matthew McConaughey speaks at the 2024 summer meeting of the National Governors Association on Friday, July 12, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, joked that he was “told” that he and his wife enjoyed McConaughey’s tequila the night before, though “I can’t recall any of it,” garnering laughter from attendees before asking the actor whether elected office, which he considered before, was still on his “dance card.”
“Yes. I have thought about running for office, getting into this category,” McConaughey said. “I’m on a learning tour and have been for probably the last six years of understanding what this category means.”
“Do I have instincts, intellect that it would be a good fit for me and I would be a good fit for it. That would be useful. I’m still on that learning tour, and, you know, days like this. I’m learning a lot. Last night, I learned a lot. I learned a lot from you last night. Through those tequila, through that tequila, sir,” he told Murphy.
McConaughey, a Texas native, years ago mulled a run for governor of the Lone Star State, and was rumored to have also considered a potential presidential bid.
To Murphy’s second question about who his favorite director was, McConaughey answered Richard Linklater, who gave him his break-out role in the 1993 coming of age film Dazed and Confused.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox greets actor Matthew McConaughey at the National Governors Association summer meeting on Friday, July 12, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
“Alright, alright, alright,” McConaughey said, citing his famous line, evoking cheers from the crowd.
“The first three words I ever said on film. People go all the time, doesn’t it upset you? Aren’t you tired of being introduced with that? And I said, no. I know the author,” McConaughey added.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green encouraged McConaughey to run for office – and to not cede to pressure on choosing a certain party affiliation, whether it be Republican or Democrat.
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“Please don’t fall into the trap to think that you have to be just one thing, because I think you’re so, you know, warm and likable. A lot of Republicans who want you to be Republican, a lot of Democrats who want you to be a Democrat, just be you, because that might be something special for all of us,” Green said.
Actor Matthew McConaughey speaks at the 2024 summer meeting of the National Governors Association, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
McConaughey argued that politicians, driven in part by attention on social media, are not engaging in “real competition” through thoughtful debate anymore, making the case that American leaders need to become “better marketers” and salespeople in demonstrating the return on investment into “hope and belief.”
“If I invalidate your position off the bat, that’s a lack of courage on my part. Right out of the gate, that’s not real confrontation,” he said, acknowledging that some of that comes with “party preservation.”
“I want to hear more vision from our leaders rather than just, ‘I want to do the opposite of what they want to do.’ Well, no,” McConaughey added. “How do you see the way forward? Instead of just saying, ‘no, all I know is I don’t want to do it that way or that’s the wrong way.’ We see it right now – It’s with two presidential candidates. Fear. Let’s admit fear’s easier to sell than hope. It’s more measurable.”
The actor admitted, though, that “good negotiation” is harder to sell.
“The train wreck is front page bold print,” he said. “How can you sell belief, which I think is what we really need more of in our country right now is belief, whether it’s literal belief in the prime mover or God, or whether it’s belief more in ourselves and our neighbors in what America can be, we need more belief.”
“I mean, you’ve hit on so many important themes,” Cox responded. “I’m just trying to imagine a presidential candidate like this, talking about belief in something bigger than ourselves, in each other, in our neighbors, laying out a positive vision for the country… We just don’t see that anymore because fear does sell.”
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San Francisco, CA
Vigil held for 2-year-old girl killed in SF Mission Bay crash
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Walk SF and Families for Safe Streets held a vigil Monday evening to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.
The crash happened just before 9 p.m. at Fourth and Channel streets near Oracle Park. Police said the child’s mother was also injured and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and authorities said drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.
Community heartbroken
Community members gathered at the intersection Monday to light candles and lay flowers. Among them was the Howard family.
“We’re just heartbroken and sad,” said Hidelisa Howard.
“I was thinking about heartbroken parents, someone who cannot get their daughter back,” said John Howard.
The intersection is designated as part of San Francisco’s 2022 High Injury Network, identifying streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal traffic crashes. Speed cameras were recently installed in the surrounding neighborhood.
Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF, called the crash a tragedy, noting a previous fatal collision involving a child at Fourth and King streets several years ago.
Traffic intensifies
Parents in the area said traffic has intensified with nearby events and development.
“We love having people here in the neighborhood, and it’s brought a lot of life to the area,” said Hidelisa Howard, who lives nearby. “But at the same time, we have people coming in from out of the area. They’re not familiar with the streets, they’re running the lights, they’re running the crosswalks.”
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the intersection has been problematic.
“Sometimes people go too fast. I don’t know that this was the issue here, but we need to do everything we can to make our neighborhoods and our streets safer,” Dorsey said.
On Monday, crews with the SFMTA repainted crosswalks and re-timed traffic signals at the intersection.
“It just feels like there’s so many young children in this neighborhood that there should be improvements made to the way that the traffic flows around here,” said Aanisha Jain, a San Francisco resident.
Denver, CO
Denver bans federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces, DHS says it won’t comply
Denver city leaders unanimously passed a ban on all officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing face coverings while detaining or arresting people. That law also requires officers to wear visible identification.
It’s the second sweeping ordinance against federal officers in Denver in just a few days. Last Thursday, Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order banning federal immigration agents from operating on city property without a judicial warrant.
It also directs Denver police, deputies and fire personnel to investigate reports of violence and criminal behavior.
The Department of Homeland Security responded calling the executive order “legally illiterate,” adding, “no local official has the authority to bar ICE from carrying out federal law on public property … and while Mayor Johnston continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals.”
DHS didn’t mince words when responding to Denver’s new face coverings ban either, saying in part, “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by a city council’s unconstitutional ban. Our officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers. Not only is ICE law enforcement facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them, but we’ve also seen thugs launch websites to reveal officers’ identity.”
On the other hand, the Denver City Council didn’t mince words when it approved the ban.
“It’s very disturbing to me, as an American, to see masked agents on the street,” said Councilman Kevin Flynn who represents District 2. “I don’t know what the best way is to enforce our immigration laws, but I think I know the worst way when I see it.”
“I said all along, this was a slam dunk,” added Councilman Darrell Watson of District 9.
Last month, a federal judge struck down a California law prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks. But, the city council says it made sure its ordinance is enforceable.
You have to treat all law enforcement the same,” said City Council President Amanda Sandoval. “So, our sheriffs can’t have masks. Our State Patrol can’t have masks. And federally you can’t have masks. And we delineate that within the ordinance which, that’s where California got the issue.”
Sandoval said she was monitoring the legal process and comparing the two ordinances to ensure they would be good to go.
Although the city council believes the ordinance is constitutional, the Denver Police Department says it’s still working to determine what implementation could look like, and provided this statement to CBS Colorado:
“Our Safety departments are working with the City Attorney and bill sponsors to determine what implementation could look like. Of utmost importance is discretion and prioritizing de-escalation when encountering these situations. Our goal is to apply this ordinance in a way that builds trust and transparency without putting officers, deputies, or the public at risk.”
Coupled with the city’s new executive order, Sandoval believes Denver now has the necessary guidelines in place.
“A map for residents to understand predictability, and that’s what I always want, is what can the residents be able to rely on.”
There are exemptions in place for the ban, for example: during an active undercover operation, when gear is required for physical safety, and for personnel performing SWAT duties.
Seattle, WA
Joey Daccord makes 35 saves as Seattle Kraken earn 2-1 win over Hurricanes
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 02: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck during the second period of a game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on March 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Christopher Mast / NHLI / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Joey Daccord made 35 saves and the Seattle Kraken survived a 6-on-4 penalty kill for the final 90 seconds for a 2-1 victory over the East’s top team in the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.
Kaapo Kakko and Ben Meyers each scored in the second period for the Kraken as they managed to beat a Hurricanes team that has the second-best record in the NHL, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche. The Kraken are now in a playoff spot by five points as they hold the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division with 22 games to play.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored the only goal of the night for the Hurricanes late in the second period, but Seattle was able to withstand Carolina’s offensive push in the final period to secure a second straight victory.
The Hurricanes are always a high-volume shooting team and Daccord faced plenty of chances. Carolina had 83 shot attempts to just 31 for the Kraken. Shots on goal were 36-15 in favor of the Hurricanes as well, but scoring chances were just 20-13 in Carolina’s favor as Seattle did a good job limiting the danger of the shots sent at Daccord.
It was an eventful but scoreless first period between the two teams, with Carolina owning a 13-7 edge in shots. All three goals would come in the second.
Adam Larsson – who assisted on both goals for Seattle – deflected an Alexander Nikishin into the neutral zone to start a two-on-one rush chance for Kakko with Berkly Catton in support as Kakko ripped a shot through the armpit of Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen for a 1-0 lead.
Kakko said he wanted to make the pass to Catton, but the lane was covered by Shane Ghostisbehere, so he elected to shoot.
The Kraken earned a power play chance three minutes later on a tripping call against Eric Robinson. Carolina completely neutered the man-advantage for the first 90 seconds before the Kraken appeared to extend the lead.
With 15 seconds left on the power play, the Kraken rushed into the Hurricanes’ zone with Kakko finding a streaking Jaden Schwartz open on the back door for an easy finish behind Andersen. However, Carolina successfully challenged the goal for a missed offsides on Shane Wright that wiped out the goal.
But the Kraken still managed to extend the lead soon after.
Jacob Melanson continues to be a spark plug for Seattle and helped restore the momentum immediately after the disallowed goal. On the shift coming out of the power play, Melanson delivered a big hit and connected with Adam Larsson on a breakout pass that sparked a rush. Ben Meyers crashed toward the net and was able to finish off his own rebound on a pass from Freddy Gaudreau to officially make it a 2-0 lead.
Melanson didn’t even get an assist out of the sequence, but was a big part of creating a goal for Seattle.
After being extremely sharp defensively all night, Carolina finally pounced on an opportunity the Kraken were unable to turn away. Vince Dunn was just unable to control a loose puck in front of Seattle’s net as it landed on the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers instead, who snapped a shot past Daccord to make it a 2-1 game with 90 seconds left in the second period.
The Hurricanes took 32 shots in the third period as they attempted to find a tying goal, but only nine made it to Daccord, and he stopped them all.
Eeli Tolvanen was called for Seattle’s first and only penalty of the night – a holding call after breaking his stick – with 90 seconds left to play. With Andersen on the bench for a six-on-four chance for Carolina, Daccord stopped all three shots he faced to close out the win for Seattle.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
MORE KRAKEN NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Jordan Eberle scores twice as Seattle Kraken roll to 5-1 win over Canucks
Dylan Holloway scores hat trick as Seattle Kraken lose 5-1 to Blues
Seattle Kraken flounder to 4-1 loss to Stars in return from Olympics break
Seattle Kraken reach two-year extensions with Ben Meyers, Ryan Winterton
Shane Wright scores twice as Seattle Kraken beat Kings 4-2
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